Telepresence is a term which identifies the transmission of an image from a particular location to another viewing area in a real time manner. Telepresence is a rapidly growing technology sector including everything from a free Skype call using the camera in your laptop or on your PC to a Cisco Telepresence® system costing over $250,000. A telepresence system typically consists of computer hardware for telecommunications and affiliated software for interconnecting separate locations for operating a video conference system or other video presentation. Associated audio and video integration is typically utilized.
Cisco is one of the world leaders in telepresence and has a family of products that they are selling in the marketplace, some of which are as follows: Cisco TelePresence® System 3000 is the higher end version of Cisco TelePresence®, featuring three 1080p flat panel displays. The setup for the system includes tables, microphones, speakers, cameras, collaboration interfaces and lighting. This system includes a second row of tables, to allow up to 18 people in a single room. There are actually two rear row configurations; a twelve person configuration to allow up to eighteen people to be on-screen and, for smaller spaces, an eight person configuration to allow up to fourteen people to be on-screen. There are three 65″ displays and a high fidelity audio system. Cisco TelePresence® System 1300 features a single 1080p flat panel display, but has a unique camera system that switches automatically to the active speaker. The Cisco TelePresence® 1300 Series seats up to 6 participants and consists of a single 65″ display. Cisco TelePresence® System 1000 features a single 1080p flat panel display. Cisco TelePresence® System 500 features a complete 1080p system in a smaller form factor for small office applications to small conference rooms and includes a 37″ LCD 1080p display and camera.
All of these systems contain at least one display either a LCD or plasma and one camera mounted generally above the display. The participants look at the displays to see the parties on the other side of the telepresence meeting and their image is captured by the camera located generally on top of the displays that their looking at.
Such a configuration while suitable for its intended purpose has the potential for presenting a number of challenges that all users and systems face. There is a very small zone in which telepresence can occur because of the field of view of the camera. If during a telepresence session a person stands up it is possible that their head and upper body will be cut off from view, if they move laterally out of the field of view the camera they will disappear from the other person's view. Accordingly, telepresence today requires strict adherence to the narrow zone delineated by the type of camera used in the system. Furthermore, the cameras are located beyond the display's image area and may not provide an eye level presentation to a viewer.
A third constraint is that by using only one camera there is only one point of view for all the participants. If there is a display in front of you and you are viewing the participant on the display you are actually seeing that participant at an angle from the cameras perspective as opposed to a realistic head-on perspective that you would have if you are actually attending a meeting and sitting across the table from the other participant. These seemingly slight visual miscues create a restless and unnatural perspective while participating in the videoconference.